“Plastic waste” is a global pollution problem that pops up daily on news headlines in our changing world with microplastics (<5 mm in size) even showing up in Mount Everest’s snow. Plastics find applications in many sectors including food packaging, transportation, medical, housing, electronics, toys and many other products. Packaging is the major sector in plastic use; ~50% of which is in single-use products like food packaging, grocery bags, takeout containers, and plastic cutlery. Thus, immediate and vigorous actions are required in reducing plastic wastes. There remains a huge challenge in finding alternative solutions for three categories of packaging – multi-layer packaging, mixed-material (plastic, metal, and paper) and mono-material packaging that are impractical to recycle. Biodegradable plastics show leading trends in sustainable food packaging. Many misunderstandings around biodegradable bioplastic pose a challenge to its commercialization. However, the global bioplastic market is growing at a CAGR of ~12%, with an increasing number of biodegradable plastics being commercialized through cost competitive blends and biocomposites. Special interest is growing around home compostable and soil biodegradable products over industrial composting. Disruptive technology in creating high barrier biodegradable packaging can help in reducing food wastes. This presentation will highlight on challenges and opportunities towards a zero-waste plastics economy in supporting circular economy. The combination of circular economy with bioeconomy can lead to advanced sustainability.
